STG 17
Chapter 17: My Home
“Boundless Void Domain?”
“It’s a Forbidden Zone that isolates the interior from the outside world, preventing our battles with enemies from affecting ordinary people. Each city’s Nightkeepers are equipped with three signboards capable of deploying the [Boundless Void Domain], each managed by one person. Since we don’t usually engage in direct combat, people like me are also called ‘Watchers.'”
Lin Qiye raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re basically just a lookout.”
“…If you don’t know how to talk, just say less.” Zhao Kongcheng rolled his eyes.
“You mentioned there are three ways to obtain a Forbidden Zone. What’s the last one?”
“The last method is divine bestowal—your situation.” Zhao Kongcheng’s expression turned serious. “Some gods grant a portion of their power to chosen humans, making them their agents in the mortal world. The Forbidden Zones bestowed this way are also called ‘Divine Ruins’.”
“However, in exchange for this power, the agents receive mandates from the gods. Some are tasked with destroying human society, some with protecting it, and others with finding certain things for the gods… In general, each god has only one agent, and that agent represents the god’s will.”
“Most of the dozen or so divine agents who have emerged so far serve evil gods seeking to overthrow the new human order and plunge the world back into chaos. They’ve formed an organization called the Ancient God Church.”
“There are also agents of benevolent gods, but they’re extremely rare. As for neutral gods, we have no idea how many agents they have.”
Zhao Kongcheng stood up, walked over to Lin Qiye, and stared into his eyes, enunciating each word clearly:
“Lin Qiye, what is Michael’s mandate to you? Which side… do you belong to?”
Lin Qiye looked utterly bewildered. “I don’t know. He didn’t say anything.”
This was the absolute truth. Back then, Michael had just looked at him from the moon before he passed out. The angel hadn’t uttered a single word!
Zhao Kongcheng frowned. “He said nothing? You’ve never heard His voice in your mind?”
“Never. Seriously!”
Zhao Kongcheng studied Lin Qiye suspiciously for a long time, as if trying to detect any signs of deception. Finally, he sighed and sat back down.
“Based on our analysis, Michael should belong to the neutral or benevolent faction. Otherwise, we’d have killed you already. But… if He gave you a Divine Ruin, why wouldn’t He say anything?”
“What exactly does He want?”
Lin Qiye’s brow furrowed slightly. “I have no idea what He wants. But even if He gave me a mandate, I wouldn’t follow it. I don’t want to get involved in this mess. At most, I’ll just return these eyes to Him.”
With that, he stood up. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now.”
Without waiting for Zhao Kongcheng’s response, he turned to open the door.
“Wait! Hold on!!” Zhao Kongcheng bolted up and blocked the door, staring at Lin Qiye. “You’re just going to leave after asking all your questions? What about me?”
“You? You can stay here and enjoy your ‘passionate fantasy’ alone.” Lin Qiye replied earnestly.
“No, I mean—don’t you want to ask about me? Who I am?” Zhao Kongcheng felt like talking to this kid was exhausting.
“What does that have to do with me?” Lin Qiye continued reaching for the door.
Zhao Kongcheng slammed his hand on the handle. “Aren’t you curious why I know so much? What organization I’m part of? What we do…?”
“Not really.”
“Why not?”
“Based on movies and novels, once I learn about your existence, I only have two choices.” Lin Qiye held up two fingers. “Either join you, or become incapable of leaking secrets—like being killed, imprisoned, or brainwashed…”
“…Stop watching so much TV!” Zhao Kongcheng was speechless. “Besides, how do you know joining us isn’t a good choice if you don’t even understand us?”
Lin Qiye raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re saying even if I learn about your organization and choose not to join, I won’t be in danger?”
“Of course not! We’re practically military. At most, you’d sign a non-disclosure agreement. All that other stuff is nonsense!”
“Then I suppose I can listen.” Hearing this, Lin Qiye sat back down.
Zhao Kongcheng sighed. A few minutes of talking to this kid felt more tiring than a whole day of stakeout duty!
“In 1922, after our exploration team discovered the first mythological creature—the Chaos Dragon Leviathan—Daxia’s higher-ups urgently established a military organization to prepare for potential invasions by such beings. It was called the 139 Special Biological Response Unit.”
“Back then, our technology was backward, and we knew nothing about this new world. So, the so-called ‘special response unit’ was mostly for show, with little real use.”
“Over time, as we observed more mythological creatures, we attempted to establish contact with some of them while also uncovering the secrets of Forbidden Zones. We began training specialized combat personnel.”
“As more Forbidden Zone users emerged, we realized their appearances were too random to be fully incorporated into the military. So, the 139 Unit gradually evolved into a semi-military, semi-civilian organization.”
“Now, we call this special organization… the ‘Nightkeepers’.”
Lin Qiye nodded thoughtfully. “So, your purpose is to protect Daxia from evil gods?”
“To be precise, from all mythological threats.”
“What’s the difference?”
“A big one. As I said earlier, the emergence of mythological beings is random, unrelated to their power levels. So, the entities that appear aren’t just the well-known, world-ending gods. Some are weak creatures from obscure folktales or minor legends. The Masked Fiend you encountered last night is one such example.”
“These beings, which lack apocalyptic power but can still disrupt human society, are collectively called ‘Mysteries’.”
“I see.” Lin Qiye finally understood why the creature from last night had seemed vaguely familiar—it had originated from rural folklore.
“So, we’re soldiers—soldiers who protect our homeland! Our existence is to shield Daxia’s people from suffering. Isn’t that noble? Isn’t that cool?!” Zhao Kongcheng pleaded earnestly.
“It is noble. And very cool. I respect you all deeply. Truly.” Lin Qiye’s expression was solemn. He wasn’t joking—his eyes shone with genuine admiration.
Zhao Kongcheng’s face slowly broke into a smile. “Then you—”
“I won’t join.”
“…” Zhao Kongcheng’s smile froze. “Why?!“
“I can’t leave.” Lin Qiye’s gaze was firm. “I still have too much to do…”
“What could be more important than protecting your country?!”
“I have an aunt… and a younger cousin.” Lin Qiye looked out the window, his expression calm. “My aunt isn’t old, but after working day and night in a factory for over ten years to support A’jin and a ‘useless’ person like me… her body is breaking down.”
“She’s stubborn. Even when she’s massaging her aching neck in the living room, tears in her eyes, she’ll insist she’s just ‘doing yoga’ and that it’s ‘good for her health’…”
“I sit right across from her. She thinks I can’t see.”
“She lives too carefully… and too exhaustedly.”
“My cousin is smart and filial, but… he’s still too young to carry this family.”
“I have too much to do.”
“I need to earn money to support this family. I need to buy a big house for my aunt and cousin. I need to make sure my aunt never has to return to that sweatshop again!”
“I need to put my cousin through college. I need to give him and my aunt a better life!”
“For ten years, they never gave up on me—this deadweight. Now that I’ve finally recovered, how could I abandon them?”
“You’re noble. You’re great. If circumstances allowed, maybe I would join you…”
“But right now, I just want to stay by their side…”
“And protect this home.”
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